James J. Higgins
Kansas State University
James R. Schwenke
Bristol-Myers Company
Abstract: A decision theoretic approach is proposed for scheduling a student into a future course when there is more than one possible choice. The statistical aspects of the decision theoretic placement procedure are discussed in detail. A linear model approach is given for utilizing items in a student’s records to estimate the probabilities of attaining various levels of performance or achievement as measured by an appropriate criterion. The probabilities so obtained are combined with subjective judgements via a utility function to arrive at a placement decision. An example is included illustrating the procedure for placing junior high mathematics students into one of two possible math courses.
Citation: Higgins, J. J., & Schwenke, J. R. (1983). A decision theoretic approach to student placement. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 25(1), 45-59.
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